David Gordon Green Takes the Helm of High-Concept Action Thriller Supermax
David Gordon Green, the filmmaker behind Pineapple Express and the recent Halloween trilogy, is locking in to direct Supermax, a high-concept action thriller promising claustrophobic tension and breakout-scale action.
Yes, there is another project called 'Supermax' on the way. No, it is not the Green Arrow prison movie David S. Goyer tried to mount ages ago. It is not the supernatural lockup thing from way back. It is not either of those TV shows. This one is new, it is at Miramax, and David Gordon Green is directing it.
So what is this 'Supermax'?
It is a high-concept action thriller about two FBI agents digging into a murder that goes down inside the world's most secure prison. David Weil and David J. Rosen wrote the script; their past team-ups include the shows 'Hunters' and 'Invasion'.
Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona are producing for The Picture Company. Weil and Rosen are executive producing alongside a trio from Miramax: CEO Jonathan Glickman, President of Film Alexandra Loewy, and COO Thom Zadra. Natalie Laine Williams is on as associate producer. Miramax Senior VP Spencer Ela is overseeing the project.
Why David Gordon Green?
Green already has recent history with Miramax thanks to his Halloween run: 'Halloween' (2018), 'Halloween Kills', and 'Halloween Ends'. That trilogy was divisive, but it was his first real stretch in horror after a career that has zigzagged through a lot of tones and genres.
The quick tour: he broke out with the low-budget drama 'George Washington' in 2000, then 'All the Real Girls', the thriller 'Undertow', and 'Snow Angels'. He pivoted to stoner comedies with 'Pineapple Express' in 2008, followed by the fantasy goof 'Your Highness' and the dark comedy 'The Sitter'. Then came the comedy-drama 'Prince Avalanche' (a remake of an Icelandic film), the crime drama 'Joe', 'Manglehorn', the political satire 'Our Brand Is Crisis', and the biographical drama 'Stronger'. After the Halloween trilogy, he set out to make a new Exorcist trilogy, but when 'The Exorcist: Believer' landed with a thud, the trilogy plan was shelved and he shifted focus to the comedy-drama 'Nutcrackers'. Now he is jumping into action with 'Supermax'.
What else he's juggling
On TV, Green has directed episodes of 'Eastbound & Down', 'Red Oaks', 'Vice Principals', 'There's... Johnny!', 'Dickinson', 'Mythic Quest', 'The Sex Lives of College Girls', and 'The Righteous Gemstones'. He is currently at work on 'Scarpetta' for Prime Video, based on Patricia Cornwell's novels, and he is also collaborating with Rosen on the Apple TV series 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed'.
About that title
If the name 'Supermax' is giving you deja vu, you're not imagining it. People have been trying to make a project with that title stick for years. To keep things straight, here are the ones this movie is not:
- Goyer's nearly-20-years-ago Green Arrow-in-prison feature
- The prison-for-the-supernatural movie that cropped up about 16 years back
- The 2016 TV show
- The 2017 TV show
Point is, this 'Supermax' is its own thing. If it hits, maybe we can finally retire the title for a bit. Until then: Green doing a contained prison thriller with Miramax and a duo who wrote 'Hunters' and 'Invasion' is a combo I want to see play out.